This invention relates to a pool skimmer which is adapted to remove floating fractions, such as floating debris, from the surface of water.
This invention has industrial applications, such as in the separation of a floating fraction from the surface of a pool of liquid. The invention can also be applied agriculturally or environmentally, such as in the removal of floating contaminants from dams, ponds and the ocean surface. However, the simplest and most illustrative application of the invention is in the removal of floating debris, such as leaves and dead insects from the surface of a swimming pool. The invention will therefore be described with reference to such an application, but it will be appreciated that this is purely exemplary and it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way.
Floating pool skimmers with weir operated inlets are known.
See for instance U.S. Pat. No. 3,970,556--Gore--which describes a skimmer including an outer, annular body with an inner cavity. Flotation and ballast chambers in the outer body regulate the level of floatation of a weir operated inlet. The liquid is pumped out of the central cavity through a drain opening in the base plate and a moveable weir extends across the width of the inlet opening to regulate the quantity and velocity of liquid which flows through the opening and into the central cavity. The outer edge of the weir is connected to the body by a hinge connection which permits the weir to articulate and a float is mounted beneath the weir, so that the weir floats on the liquid within the central cavity, with the outer edge of the weir elevated. This produces a cascade of liquid over the upper edge of the weir which, in turn, produces regulated skimming of the surface of the liquid by the cascade action.
In skimmer applications, as exemplified by Gore, the floating fraction, such as the leaves, insects and other debris, is drawn directly into the filter system, which is often undesirable. In more complex skimmer systems the water surface within the interior cavity of the device is not matched to the shape of the strainer. The disadvantage of such an arrangement is that, upon removal of suction from the device, to clean the strainer, the floating debris returns to the surface of the liquid within the inner cavity. Upon removal of the strainer from this cavity, a large proportion of the floating debris is left within the cavity and is not removed by removal of the strainer. Once again, this places an undesirable load on the pool filter system, which the skimmer is intended to alleviate, so that it can be seen that the skimmer does not perform, adequately, the function it is intended to.